I was frustrated with the fact that I was replacing my queen-size down comforters after only a few years of use.  It didn’t make sense that they went flat so quickly.  I stumbled upon a great way to make them last longer.

Instead of buying a queen-size comforter the last time, I bought a king-size one…and put it in a queen-size duvet cover.  This way, the down doesn’t migrate to the edges as much, so I’m not losing feathers or down.  I regularly launder the duvet cover and have cleaned the comforter itself many times.  8 years later, the comforter is still fluffy and keeping us warm on cold winter nights.

It’s all in the marketing.  Our children dreaded road trips because they were…well…road trips.  We didn’t want to waste the money we were saving driving to our destination by stopping for fast food, but when I packed lunches, we had attitude in the car.

We learned rebrand lunch to a picnic! What child doesn’t like a picnic?  Same food, but packed in a picnic basket with a tablecloth.  We’d then stop at a park, let the children get the jiggle-wiggles out, enjoy our cheap lunch, and be on our way!

Dirty cups and mugs can really pile up!  Control the chaos by designating a “cup of the day” for each person. We choose favorites that do not match so that everyone knows which cup is which, but you could color code or use masking tape labels. Then set up a cup “parking lot” where cups live when they’re not in use—a shiny tray, a plastic container, or even an unused lid. 

Train kids to use a cup, rinse it out, and set it on the tray for use later.  At the end of the day, pop them all in the dishwasher or do a quick handwash so they’re ready for the next day.